Bring Back Old Memories
by CountessMel
Summary: [complete] When she leasts expects it, Ginny again finds herself confronted by a terrible enemy. Why must one's darkest memories continue to haunt and hurt?


Disclaimer: I do not own HP, GW, RW, HG or any other initials that represent peope, places and events created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I do not have access to any of the Harry Potter books right now, so please correct my spelling of names/things. Thanks so much if you would.

* * *

"Hullo, Ginny!"

I smiled at Dennis before settling down a red cushion. I rested my chin in my elbow as the DA assembled about the low tables.

"So, what are we doing today, Harry?"

Dennis was perched on a low stool and looked as though he might topple off at any moment. I saw Hermione covertly place a cushion behind him for safety.

Harry shoved a big book towards the end of the table. "I think we're going to split tonight and practice some of what we've been doing in the last month or two. And we've got a boggart for tonight's new lesson."

People slowly began to fill into the Room of Requirement. Even with Umbridge gone, no one liked to arrive all at once. Part of it was tradition, and perhaps part of it was the knowledge that there were those in the school that would never wish the DA any good.

"Hi, Ginny," Amanda Grivens sat down next to me. She slapped her bookbag on the table and a few pieces of parchment fell out

"'How to care for Hymn-singing Water Lilies'?" I aksed with my eyebrows raised.

"Well, actually," Amanda smirked slightly, "Professor Sprout told me I might be interested in helping her with the 'choir' for the holiday feast!"

Ron cleared his throat loudly and I became the subject of a rather deep glare as Harry pulled out his notes.

"All right, everyone." he said, "Tonight, Hermione's going to take those who aren't proficient in the 'fleeting-fog' spell over by the tables. Ron and I will take the rest of you to the boggart and we'll go around a few times for practice."

I glanced at Amanda.She looked worried, too: we'dnever done boggarts in Defense Against the Dark Arts. After hearing the horror stories from the Fred and George, I wasn't quite sure about meeting one in person. The stupid imposter-Moody (I gritted my teeth at the thought of him and cursed his thumbs) had never bothered to teach us anything basic, and Professor Lupin hadn't be around long enough. And Umbridge… I suppressed a mocking laugh. We'd only used our wands once in her class: we had charmed apples to fly at her head whenever she coughed.

"If you aren't sure what group to go in, talk to Hermione." Harry glanced around. Ron shot a paper airplane at his head and Harry caught it. "Oh, right. And those who caused the fire last week are expected to pay 10 knuts each to Deana Benson for the damage caused to her collection of antique paperweights."

Amanda groaned. "I knew we shouldn't have put tried to make a muggle campfire in the back corner!" she muttered.

I shrugged. "At least the Room of Requirment supplied us with muggle garden hoses."

"All right. Younger students with me!" Hermione gathered up the her group and attempted to move them to the other side of the room.

Harry went to the corner and pulled out a large trunk. Apparently the Room of Requirement could produce a boggart as well as non-magical gardening tools. I always wondered how the room knew what we needed.

The trunk shivered a bit and Colin Creevy turned a bit pale, until he noticed Harry's nonchalance. He sucked in his cheeks and tried to look disinterested. Amanda shuffled her feet.

Ron held up his wand and made a swift motion.

"A boggart will turn into your greatest fear. You have to imagine something funny happening to it and then say, 'Ridikulus,' and it'll have lost its power over you. It's better to think of your greatest fear first and then imagine how it could be made funny. Like an evil giant suddenly shrinking and living in a doll's house or something. Neville, d'you want to demonstate?"

"I- I… don't know. I don't think I should," he stammered. Ron seemed confused. Neville had become so much more confident in the DA since last year. Suddenly a thought occured to me and I saw that Harry knew it too: maybe Neville's greatest fear was no longer something as mundane as an irrate Snape.

"Why don't you do it, Ron?" Harry said quickly. "Neville's still getting used to his new wand."

Neville smiled a little grimly at Harry as Ron accepted the excuse and snapped the latch of the trunk. He flung it wide open and leaped back.

It really was a big spider. Like _really_ big. I saw for a split second why Ron might not fancy them so much when a huge _crack_ resounded, leaving a spider wearing eight lemon-yellow baby-booties and a bonnet covered in sickening frills.

I grinned. "Nice," I muttered as Luna Lovegood stepped up.

Behind us, the newer members of the DA were working on creating small amounts of temporary fog.

"Careful with your wand, Zelda!" a little boy cried as his partner accidentally jabbed him in the ribs.

"No, no," Hermione was explaining patiently to a second-year. "You must twist the wand like this, otherwise your fog is going to come back towards you and not your opponent. That might be useful for hiding in, but it would be awful if you didn't mean to do it."

I watched interestedly as a girl named Yates produced a particularly large amount.

"Oh! Lovely, Della! See, look, Della's done it quite well; it's gone up in a swirsl around Stratmire..."

Someone poked me in the arm.

"Hey, Ginny... Ginny?" I heard Amanda say. "Ginny, it's your turn!"

I turned around to see Colin Creevy's bikini-clad merman disappear into a wisp of fleeting fog.

And suddenly everything became very dim and blurred around me as I watched, horrified.

A figure was walked towards me from the haze.

"Hello, Ginny," he said very softly.

The room went silent. I could feel the blood pounding behind my eyes. I could never mistake that voice. I made a small gasping sound as the air seemed to be squeezed out of my lungs.

A crooked smile crossed his face.

"It's nice to see you again, Ginny. I've been missing you." His eyes glinted darkly as he laughed very quietly, stepping over a discarded book.

My glance shifted to the book for a moment and I knew he understood why.

"But I don't suppose you've missed me, have you? Rather the opposite I'm afraid." He sighed superficially. "Oh, but the young have no loyalties these days. But doesn't this bring back old times? I remember when you used to be very fond of me…" He kept slowly advancing.

I couldn't answer. My world was zeroed in on this single terror.

"Tsk-tsk. This is no way to greet an old friend. Or have you forgotten how you used to feel? 'Tom, I'm so glad you're my best friend.' 'I'm so lucky to have found you, Tom.'" His smile grew more ruthless.

_Where's Harry?_ I thought.

He laughed louder this time.

"You're little hero can't help you this time. Pity that he must die. He's very gifted. I could have used him." The last words came out with a slight hiss.

I knew I was shaking and I knew I could never stop.

"But I can still use you, Ginny. Oh yes, you are still very useful to me." He was merely a few feet away. I backed up and my legs hit the low stool by the table. Lurching wildly, I fell back on the cushion Hermione had placed there.

He towered above me, still smiling. I felt his hate flood over me like the icey fog.

"So. What do you say? Won't you come with me?" He grabbed my wrist with the same steel grip. I did nothing to stop him as he pulled me to my knees.

"Come with me, Ginny." I was being swallowed by his eyes, his voice, his hate. "Come with me."

_Does it always end with me losing like this?_ I thought as I could feel my soul drowning within me.

In a wrenching jerk, I felt a hand push me hard. I gasped with pain as the steel grip intensified for one blinding moment and then, suddenly, Tom was gone and in his place stood Neville's parents.

I stumbled and fell back onto my side as they began to scream. The sound echoed in my ears and I knew if it lasted a moment longer, I was going to become like them and Tom would have taken me at last.

"RIDIKULUS!"

And the dimness disappeared and I saw Neville standing upright with his wand still up. I heard the dull thud when he fell to the ground and the sobbing that seemed as if it would never stop. I saw Harry stumbled to the trunk and lean against the lid, and I knew he was keeping the memories from flying out again.

I kneeled against Ron's shoulder and sobbed with Neville. I could hear the Yates having hysterics in the front of the room.

_Why did they have to see him? Why do they all have to be so brave? Why can't_ I _be brave?_

Harry's shadow bent over us. I couldn't look up. My hand shook as it reached out helplessly to grasp at the air.

"I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry, Harry. I didn't mean— I-I-I didn't think— I mean— h-h-he just came out like before, when—" I couldn't finish.

Harry's shadow moved over to the smashed shelf and he began to pick up the books crushed under one another.

When I could smear the tears out of my eyes, I looked over again at Neville. He was sitting up now; his face looked as pained has his parent's. I couldn't look at him.

I glanced at everyone in the room, then back down again as the tears blurred my vision. I didn't have to see the fear and questions on their faces to know it was there.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. "I'm so, so sorry."


End file.
